High Housing Costs Take Toll

If county residents need any more proof of the cause and effect relationship of housing, traffic congestion and economic health, they need only read the study recently completed by the Fair Housing Council of Orange County.

The report blames stop-and-go-traffic, long commutes, expensive rents and mortgages, overcrowding and increased homelessness on the county’s shortage of affordable housing. The findings are not new. They reinforce what has been evident in the county for years. But seeing them again in a new study by a new source should persuade residents of the problem’s severity--and the need for prompt action.

It’s often difficult for someone living comfortably to be concerned that the county’s median annual household income, according to federal figures, is $36,000 and that most housing is available only to families earning more than $40,000 a year. Or that some people in lower-earning jobs pay rent that equals 50% of their gross income. But these conditions have an impact on the entire community.

For one thing, there is the increased traffic congestion and pollution caused by people commuting to jobs from distant areas where housing costs are lower. Then there is the threat that companies will relocate elsewhere to take advantage of a labor pool made up of workers who don’t have to pay so much for housing or transportation. These companies stand to benefit from less absenteeism, tardiness, worker turnover and low employee morale.

The Fair Housing Council did not just restate the problems. It offered a few innovative solutions, some of which are being used elsewhere, but not here.

The council suggests zoning laws be changed to allow the building of low-cost apartments above retail shops. Many Eastern cities do that. So does Santa Monica. It helps to reduce rents.

The council also suggests that subsidized housing be sold or rented on a preferred basis with first choice going to people living and working in the same city. Irvine does this in an effort to reduce commuter traffic.

The council further urged that city and county agencies make housing loans to certain needy residents. Santa Ana has such a program for people who have been relocated out of their housing. And Laguna Beach loans money to city employees so they can then secure more affordable housing closer to the city.

The Fair Housing Council wants to make residents aware of how much the cost and availability of housing actually impact on traffic congestion and employment. It is a point worth repeating, lest the public forget that everyone pays a price for the county’s high cost of housing.